The parotid gland is a salivary gland overlying the masseter and posterior belly of digastric muscle. Saliva is delivered to the mouth via the parotid duct. The parotid bed is bounded by the ramus of the mandible anteriorly and the mastoid process posteriorly. Superiorly it is bounded by the external acoustic meatus. Medially, it is bounded by the styloid process of the temporal bone. Laterally it is covered by the overlying skin.Traversing through the parotid gland is the facial nerve (CN VII). Within the gland, this nerve divides into a superior and inferior division innervating the temporal/zygomatic/buccal and mandibular/cervical branches respectively. This is particularly important in adenoid cystic carcinomas arising in the parotid gland. In these tumors, they will infiltrate peri-neurally and can track up to the stylohyoid foramen.
Venous drainage of the parotid gland is via the retromandibular vein. This vein joins the posterior auricular vein to form the external jugular vein.
Arterial supply of the parotid gland is via the external carotid artery, which enters the medial aspect of the gland. The external carotid artery then divides into the superficial temporal artery and the maxillary artery.
Innervation of the parotid gland is via the secretoy fibres of the otic ganglion, a parasympathetic component of the glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX).
Lymphatic drainage is to the superficial and deep cervical chains.
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ReplyDeleteThe parotid gland is the largest of the major salivary glands and the most likely to develop cancer. There are many different types of caner in which most common type of salivary gland tumor is a slow-growing noncancerous tumor of the parotid gland. Some tumors can also be cancerous. Get more info about types of tumors from expert surgeons like Dr. Larian, he is an expert surgeon who specializes in minimally invasive procedures at the CENTER for Advanced Parotid Surgery.